The Halfling Princess
by ElishaNevaeh
Summary: The Volturi have been hiding a valuable secret for nearly 700 years, but what happens when that secret gets loose? How will this sway the vampire world and the very course of history? I would put more of a summary, but I don't want to give it all away; you'll just have to read and find out. I promise you the story is worth a read. Hope you enjoy it. Reviews welcome.
1. Prelude

~Prelude~

"Elisha, this has been decided for a long time. Now that Caius' wife is gone you shall take her place." Aro said in his cool, calm tone. Looking past Aro at my father I felt bile rise in my throat as he sat there silent and unmoving.

"Father, you can't possibly approve of this!" I said in a pleading tone. Still he made no move to come to my aid and I could feel my blood begin to boil in anger.

"May my mother curse your frozen heart," I shouted in disbelief, venom dripping from my every word, "May Edania curse you Marcus Voltare!" The force behind my words was enough that the room shook with my fury. Not even waiting to see what effect my words had had I spun on my heel and retreated from the room. They disgusted me; every last one of them. Aro with his blinding greed, Caius with his pompous manner, and then there was my father. It was hard to believe that Marcus was once kind and caring, but that time had long since passed. It had been centuries since anyone had seen him show emotion; not since my mother had died. Walking into my room I sighed and walked over to the large painting above my writing desk.

"Why did you have to leave us? If you were still here I wouldn't be trapped in this desolate place." I said as I ever so lightly brushed my fingertips over one of the figures. I barely noticed a tear slip past my eyelashes as I traced the woman's burgundy hair, tan skin, emerald green dress, and vibrant blue-green eyes. Letting my eyes drift to the plaque at the bottom of the frame I smiled as I read the names: _Lady Edania Voltare, Miss Elisha Voltare, & Lord Marcus Voltare._ My face fell as the last name slid through my mind. Scowling I dug my nail into the metal and scraped Marcus' name away; he had no right to be in the portrait. The only reason he was there at all was because he was my father, though he never acted like it; not anymore.

"Just because you get rid of the name on that plaque doesn't change the fact that he's your father." A familiar voice sounded behind me.

"If only he still acted like a father. Did he send you to speak with me Heidi?" I asked resting my forehead against the wall beside the portrait.

"No, I came of my own free will."

"I can't do this anymore; I can't stand it here Heidi. I feel like I'm suffocating under my fathers shadow. He doesn't even speak to me anymore." I said pushing myself back hard enough to land on my bed.

"Elisha, no matter what you can't escape the fact that Marcus is still your father. I know he still loves you and I'm sure the only reason he is so distant is because he misses your mother." Heidi said taking a seat beside me. Jumping up I propelled my fist into the wall as hard as possible and turned to glare at her.

"He does not miss my mother; the only person he misses is that filthy wench Didyme! He never truly loved my mother, so how could he ever love me?!" I shouted. Heidi knew better than to speak right now, but it was the worst possible time for the person at my door to be there.

"Aro has requested your presence in the main chamber." Demitri said before turning to escort me. Shaking with anger I forced myself to follow him, but as soon as entered the chamber I knew I wouldn't be able to control my anger much longer. All around the room there were tourists taking pictures of the portraits and architecture. Walking me all the way up to Aro, Demitri stepped aside to let us talk.

"You look worn, you should eat something." Aro said gesturing to the people around the room. Glaring at him I clenched my fits at my sides and started to shake again.

"I will never drink from a human and you know that." I said through gritted teeth.

"You _will _learn to accept our ways and you will do so today," He said sharply, "I am your master and you will..."

"You are not my master!" I growled as my slender, athletic form changed into the huge, well muscled form of a wolf. I heard the people around me screaming in terror and turned to give a rumbling growl; within minutes the room was empty aside from the Volturi members and myself.

"How dare you cost us our dinner!" Aro snapped hitting me hard enough to propel me a few yards away. Standing up I let my topaz eyes drift over everyone in the room and gave an internal laugh when I noticed Aro was the only one making any move toward me; most of them were actually backing up. Even Jane and Alec were sure to keep a good distance from me though they knew very well they could hurt me. I kept my eyes locked with Aro's as we circled he room waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Just as I reached a spot near the window Aro raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light and I saw this as my opportunity. In one swift move I turned and jumped out the window down into the courtyard. I would not let him rule my life; I would not bow to him. Racing out of the courtyard I changed back into my normal form and found the easiest way to get onto the roof of a nearby building. Making my way to the roof I looked back at the Volturi home to see if I was being followed; I saw nothing. Taking off at vampire speed across the rooves of the city I made my way out of Italy. I knew Aro wouldn't send anyone after me until night fall and I had to use the head start to my advantage. I didn't know where I was going to go, but I knew I couldn't stay in Europe or Asia as it would be too easy for Demitri to find me. Making my way to the coast of Spain I used the little money I had to buy a ferry ticket across the ocean. Who knew; perhaps I would find salvation in America, but only time would tell. All I knew for certain was that any place had to better than living under Aro's rein of terror.


	2. Chapter 1: The Nomad

~Chapter 1: The Nomad~

Jumping from tree to tree as silent as the wind I watched the deer below me waiting for the right time to pounce. Since I had left the Volturi my money had quickly been depleted to nothing, so it had been months since I had had any human food. I had been living off of the land and it actually felt nice getting back to my native roots. As the doe below me stopped at a stream to drink I took a deep breath and jumped out of my hiding spot tackling the animal to the ground. In an instant I had snapped its neck and drained the blood from its body.

"I'm sorry little one, bu this is the way of nature. Go in peace my friend." I said as I gently laid its lifeless body on the ground and closed its now clouded eyes. Walking over to the stream I washed the blood from my hands and sat down to enjoy the nature around me. I had only been sitting there fora few minutes when I heard a twig snap somewhere nearby. In one move I had jumped to my feet and scaled a nearby tree. I stayed as quiet as I could and let my yes drift over the area around me.

"Thank you for coming Garrett; we appreciate any help we can get."

As soon as I heard the voice my eyes darted its location and I saw a handsome blonde man walking with a gruff looking brunette man. Careful to be as quiet as possible I got as close as I could without alerting hem to my presence.

"It's the least I can do Carlisle; I owe you." The brunette said stuffing his hands in his pockets. I didn't recognize them as Volturi, but I knew Aro could have easily recruited more guards and sent them after me. Looking a bit closer my hand flew to my mouth in shock, but the gasp still escaped. Looking up the brunette Garrett quickly spotted me and before I could run away he had tackled me out of the tree and pinned me to the ground by my throat.

"Who are you?" He growled as he held me down. As I got ready to throw him off of me the blonde walked over and I froze in place.

"Who are you?!" Garrett asked with more force, but I wasn't listening; my eyes were glued to Carlisle.

"Your eyes." Was all I managed to whisper before everything went black. The next thing I knew I was waking up in an unfamiliar room with three people watching me. I recognized Carlisle and Garrett standing at the end of the bed, but the woman beside me was new.

"Good morning." She said throwing me a friendly smile. Sitting up I rested my back against the pillows and inspected the woman sitting beside me.

"Your eyes are golden too." I said as I realized her eyes matched Carlisle's. She gave me a puzzled look before taking my hand in hers.

"Would you mind telling us who you are?" She said softly.

"Elisha Elianna Voltare." I whispered, but I knew Garrett and Carlisle had still heard me as they both went rigid at the foot of the bed. The woman beside me did the same and I quickly sat up.

"Please, I assure you I mean no harm. I ran away from the Volturi a few months ago; I have no ties to them now." I said quickly. The woman and Carlisle both relaxed, but I could tell Garrett still didn't trust me.

"Well, Elisha..." I cut the woman off with a polite raise of my hand.

"Please call me Eli."

"Well Eli, I'm Esme Cullen and you've already met my husband Carlisle and his friend Garrett. When you're feeling better you can come down stairs and meet everyone else. There's a change of clothes on the dresser for you." Esme said flashing another warm smile.

"Thank you, Esme. I'll be down shortly." I said returning the smile and giving a polite nod of gratitude. When the three of them had left the room I go up and sighed as I looked down at the bed. I would have to wash the sheets and blanket for Esme as they were now covered in the filth of months in the woods. Walking in to the conjoined bathroom I took the first bath I had had in a long time and washed myself clean of dirt, grime, and blood. Once I was clean I dried my hair as best I could with a towel and put on the change of clothes Esme had set out for me. It was a simple, yet elegant white sundress that clung gracefully to my figure. Putting my long crimson hair in a low ponytail over my right shoulder I smiled at my reflection before leaving the room and heading down stairs. I followed the sound of voices until I came to the doorway of a room full of people.

"Eli! It fits you perfectly." Esme said coming over to greet me and inspect my outfit.

"Yes, thank you very much. It's nice to finally wear something other than my normal attire." I said with a slight nervous laugh. I could feel every pair of eyes in the room on me and knew very well that some of them didn't trust me.

"Well, come on in and we'll introduce you to everyone." She said taking my hand and guiding me into the room. Taking a seat beside her on the couch I tried to keep my eyes from wandering as I was sure to meet a few hostile glare if I did.

"Everyone this is Elisha." Carlisle said putting a hand on my shoulder. Finally finding the courage to look up the first set of eyes I met were those of Garrett.

"I think you forgot to mention something Carlisle. Have you decided to keep if from everyone that she's a member of the Volturi?" Garrett hissed keeping his gaze locked on me. I heard a few gasps and growls from around the room and knew most of them were not pleased.

"Garrett, she is no longer with them and you know that." Carlisle said calmly.

"How do we know we can trust her?" A girl nearby said. As Carlisle stepped forward to defend me again I put my hand over his to stop him.

"Please, let me handle this. You've already defended me enough." I said softly. Stepping back he let his hand fall from my shoulder and I stood to address the people round me.

"I understand why you don't trust me. The Volturi feud with the Cullens is well known to all vampires, but I assure you I am no longer affiliated with them. I left them nearly half a year ago due to issues with the way they ran things." I said. I saw a few of the people relax bit, but it was quickly reversed when Garrett spoke up.

"How do we know you're telling the truth? People don't just leave the Volturi very often." He said clearly trying to keep people on his side. Sighing I looked down at the floor.

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand, so I guess I have no choice." I said making my way to the sliding glass door at the other side of the room. I was surprised to hear everyone follow me outside and made my way down onto the grass.

"Don't come any closer." I said before any of them could follow me off the porch. Looking up at Esme I gave a faint smile.

"I'll replace your sundress, but I'm afraid I'll need another change of clothes." I said and she quickly got me something else to wear. With everyone watching I took a deep breath before changing into a wolf. I watched as everyone's expressions changed from hate and distrust to shock and even a few looks of terror. Changing back into myself I covered myself as best I could with the shredded sundress, but Esme quickly ran over and covered me with a green silk robe.

"Please don't be afraid." I said holding the robe closed as Esme rubbed my back soothingly.

"How can you be a wolf and a vampire?" A blonde woman around my size said taking a step forward.

"I'm a halfling. My mother was named Edania; she was one of the first Quileute wolves. My father is Marcus of the Volturi, but he has never treated me like his daughter. He is a vile, shell of a man that deserves nothing less than the worst death imaginable." I said, my anger steadily rising.

"You're like me!" A tiny voice said from somewhere in the crowd. Looking up I saw a small brown haired girl push her way through the crowd and run toward me. As soon as I saw her I knew what she was and knelt down to her height. Without a word she walked up to me and put a hand on my cheek. Letting my eyes drift shut I put my hand over hers and watched the flood of images race through my mind. When the images stopped I didn't even bother to open my eyes before pulling the child into a tight hug.

"I never thought I'd meet anyone else even remotely like myself, yet here you are. I don't care if Marcus is my father I will gladly fight for you if need be." I said as tears rolled down my cheeks. Opening my eyes the first thing I saw was a figure standing on the roof. In an instant I had the child Renesmee behind me and a loud growl echoed from my throat. Following my gaze Esme saw the figure on the roof and smiled.

"He's a friend Eli; it's alright." She said stepping up beside me. My eyes stayed locked on the stranger and I was sure I saw him smirk. For some reason my eyes would not leave his figure, but it was no longer worry that kept my gaze fixated it was something else. After a few minutes Esme managed to coax me back inside where she got me a new dress to wear. Having changed into the new dress walked back to the living room where everyone waited anxiously.

"Eli!" Renesmee called fondly as she ran into my open arms. Picking her up I couldn't help but smile at my new friend.

"The nomad had finally emerged." The blonde girl from earlier, whom I had found out was named Tonya, said looking past me. Turning around I came face to face with the same man I had seen on the roof earlier, but seeing him up close I froze. Thanks to my enhanced sight I could see every last detail about him. Every strand of his dirty blonde hair fell perfectly in place, his pale skin looked like smooth marble, below his thick leather jacket I could see his shirt clinging to his well toned chest, and his ruby eyes burned into my golden ones.

"I've seen you before; Aro wanted you in the Volturi a long time ago, but you got away." I said as the memory flashed in my head. He looked taken aback, but quickly brushed it off and stepped past me to talk with Carlisle.

"Eli, are you alright dear?" Esme asked when I didn't turn around again.

"I know that man from somewhere. Esme, I need to know who he is." I whispered tossing her a pleading look.

"Your best bet would be to ask Carlisle about him." Edward said coming over to get Renesmee. In the short time I had been there I had quickly picked up on everyone's names. I resolved to ask Carlisle later after most of the others had retired to their rooms; I had to know more about the nomad.


	3. Chapter 2: Memories

~Chapter 2: Memories~

Knocking softly on the thick wooden door I heard no reply and slowly inched it open.

"Carlisle, are you in here?"

"Sorry Eli, I was focused on something else and must not have heard you." Carlisle said rubbing his brow as he sat behind his desk. Cautiously making my way over to him I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure everything will be fine; I highly doubt even Aro would be willing to start a war." I said trying to reassure him. Giving a heavy sigh he looked up at me and gave a faint smile.

"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked. It was my turn to sigh as I took a seat across the desk from him.

"I was wondering what you could tell me about the blonde nomad from earlier." I admitted not letting my eyes meet his. Chancing a glance at him through my bangs I saw that my curiosity puzzled him and decided to elaborate.

"I feel as though I know him from somewhere, but I don't know where. He seemed like he knew something when I said I had seen him before, but all I can remember was Aro showing me a picture of him. I'm not sure if I've actually met him before or if I'm just imagining things; I was hoping you could help me." I said in defeat. Standing up Carlisle began to pace and I knew he was trying to think of everything he knew about the nomad.

"Alistair's always been very distant, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help you but I'll do my best." He said taking a seat again. After a few moments of silence he looked up at me and began to explain how he and Alistair had met and become friends. It didn't take long for him to explain most of their history together, but finally we reached a part that seemed a bit familiar to me.

"I believe it was around the beginning of the 16th century that he paid a visit to Italy for the first time. I'm not sure what exactly happened while he was there, but he came to see me after he left. He said something about the filthy people there and how the place was full of rapists and scum. His hatred for humans increased and he seemed to grow even more distant as time went on, only coming to visit once every century or two. I don't know what happened to him in Italy, but I can tell it's still bothering him." Carlisle explained.

"Thank you Carlisle. I greatly appreciate your help." I said as I stood and made my way to the door. I searched every inch of the house, but Alistair was no where to be found. Finally resigning myself to my room I decided to look for him again in the morning and went to sleep. That night my dreams were filled with flashes of memories I had long forgotten; of people I had long forgotten. I awoke the next morning drenched in sweat and crying. After taking a quick shower I changed in to a pair of black skinny jeans, tight red tank top, and combat black combat boots I put my hair up and headed out for a morning hunt. I had been hunting for a few hours when I came to a small clearing full of flowers, but the thing that drew my attention was the familiar figure lying on the grass.

"So, this is where you've been hiding." I said walking into the clearing. Alistair staid still until I was only a few feet away.

"Did Carlisle send you after me?" He asked seeming thoroughly uninterested in my answer.

"No, I was hunting." I mumbled as I took a seat beside him. He was on his feet glaring at me faster than I had time to process.

"I don't need any company, so just go back to your hunting! Why are you so friendly toward everyone?" He snapped keeping his bright red eyes locked with my newly gold ones. Recovering from my initial shock I gave a sly smirk and stood so I was face to face with him.

"Why are you so reclusive?" I replied smoothly. He looked surprised at my willingness to talk back to him, but quickly recovered and went back to glaring at me.

"You couldn't possibly understand! You're the daughter of a Volturi leader; you've always had everything handed to you!" He said, his voice steadily rising in volume. Feeling taken aback I felt my body temperature rise and stepped forward menacingly.

"How dare you act like you know me! For your information my father hasn't said so much as one word to me in the past three hundred years, my mother died when I was five, and Aro thinks he can run my life and make me marry that vile little worm Caius! My life is far from perfect, Nomad, so don't you dare act like you know a single thing about me!" I growled. He looked pleased with my reaction and I knew he was going to keep pushing me.

"So the princess thinks she had it rough? Try having your father trade your family to a vampire just so said vampire will make you into a weapon for your father to use as he pleases! Try having everything you've ever known or cared about taken away from you, even your pets!" He yelled causing any wildlife around us to scatter into the forest.

"I'll admit you had it bad, but try finding out that you were nothing more than an experiment! Marcus had a mate named Didyme before my mother and never got over her after she was killed; he never even loved my mother because he was too hung up on that wench! The only reason Aro allowed him to marry my mother was to try and create a hybrid that Aro could use to his advantage! The only problem is that his plan worked! After my mother had me Aro knew I wouldn't leave her willingly, so he had her killed and brought Marcus and I back to Italy to live with the rest of the Volturi! Marcus didn't even care that my mother was assassinated; he just obeyed Aro's every command like the loyal pet he is! You think you're the only one who has had everything taken from them and their entire life destroyed?! Well I'd say it's time for a wake up call; you're not the only person with a past, so stop acting like a spoiled little child!" I shouted, but even my anger wasn't enough to keep my tears at bay. They slipped over my eyelashes like raindrops and fell gracefully to the ground. I hated that he was seeing me cry and wanted to run back to the house, but no matter how much I tried I couldn't get a single muscle in my body to listen. Defeated I fell to my knees and clapped my hands over my face in a feeble attempt to hide from Alistair and the rest of the world. I could already hear the thunder clouds rolling in and knew that soon in would start raining, but I didn't care; I was too lost in a sea of memories to care. In front of me I heard Alistair kneel down and before I knew what was happening I had tackled him in a hug. He tensed for a minute, but steadily relaxed; he even went so far as to start rubbing my back in an attempt at comforting me. I, on the other hand, was being wracked with tremors as I continued to cry.

"Don't you dare tell anyone you saw me cry or that I hugged you." I said sharply, though my threat was made ineffective by my sobbing. He said nothing, but something told me he wouldn't tell anyone. Soon it was impossible to tell my tears from the rain, but thankfully I was managing to calm down. Letting go of him I sat back on my heels and wiped my eyes.

"I can't believe I just cried in front of someone that hates me. God, I feel so fucking pathetic." I said shaking my head in disbelief.

"Why do you think I hate you?" Alistair asked. He still didn't seem like he cared about what I said, but right now I just needed to talk.

"Alistair, it's obvious you don't like people. For cripes sake you barely ever even leave the attic; from what I've seen you've only talked to Carlisle once. He's your best friend, yet you hardly speak to him." Just as I had expected he said nothing, but after a minute stood and offered me a hand up.

"Let's go back to the house. They're probably wondering where you are." He said trying not to meet my gaze as I looked up at him. For a minute I simply sat there staring up at him. His hair was soaked and sticking to his face, the fur on his jacket was matted with mud, and I noticed the black rings around his irises were becoming more prominent. Standing up I put a hand on his shoulder causing him to look over at me.

"You need to eat." I said slightly worried. He seemed surprised by my concern, but I brushed it off and took his hand pulling him into the woods.

"I can't feed here! The wolves will kill us if we feed on humans!" He said trying to pull away from me.

"If you don't feed on something you'll be no good for anything when the Volturi arrive."

"You really expect me to fight? When the Volturi arrive I plan to be as far away as possible!" He snapped ripping his hand out of mine. Spinning around to face him I had to keep from smacking him.

"So, that's your plan? You just plan to abandon your friends in their moment of need?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing; how could he be so heartless?

"I don't want to die!" He yelled.

"None of us want to die, but we will if it means defending what's right! I for one hope we do end up fighting them so I can have the satisfaction of ripping Marcus' head from his body! I don't care if I die, so long as I get to do that one thing!" I screamed.

"And what am I supposed to do if you die? Did you ever think of that?" He yelled back. Caught off guard I took a step back.

"Why would _you_ care if I died?" I don't know why I asked when I had a feeling I already knew what he would say. Smirking he took a step toward me making me take another step back. We continued this routine until I pressed my back against a tree and he closed the space between us pinning me where I was.

"It's funny that you think I hate you; I know you can feel it too. It's how you found me when you were hunting earlier." He said staring at me intently.

"What are you talking about?" I said denying my very thoughts. I knew perfectly well what he was talking about, but I wanted him to say it out loud. I needed to hear him say it.

"1523, Volterra, Italy. I was out hunting and came across two men following a girl. They attacked her and...and were about to...I had to protect you!" He said resting his forehead against the tree.

"I knew I had seen you before, but how could you possibly remember me?" Looking up at me he smiled and leaned closer until we were only a few inches apart.

"Your hair; you're the only person I've ever seen with crimson hair." He said taking a section of my hair in his hand and gently pressing it to his lips. Looking back up at me he put hand on my cheek and quickly closed the last tiny amount of space between us. The kiss was fierce and lust filled, but sweet and cautious at the same time.

"You're my mate Elisha, and I've known it since that night. You have no idea how hard it was for me to leave Italy; how hard it was for me to leave you. I had no idea where you were or how to find you. I..."

"Alistair, enough. I'm here now; that's what matters." I said softly trying to calm him down. Pulling me into a hug he didn't say anything, just held me there while the rain fell around us. I had no idea how any of this had happened, but for the first time in centuries I found myself giving a genuine smile. I suddenly felt at home.


End file.
